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French Group, IDEMIA, enjoys the boom in biometric identification

The group develops for Société Générale Bank a biometric credit card to secure contactless payments

SECURITY

Surge of contactless payments, development of telemedicine and distance learning, generalization of identity control for access in buildings and public spaces, rise of online purchase… The pandemic crisis was an accelerator for the digital transition in many sectors for whose the need of identification and transaction security are crucial. All of this, to avoid fraud.

For the World leader in Augmented identity, IDEMIA, born in 2017 after the joint-venture between Oberthur Technologies and Morpho, ex-division of Safran for identity and Security, the crisis revealed opportunities.

” We have passed through the Covid-19 crisis with some services that disclosed essential activities. We have remained operational, despite of the crisis and have also shown resilience. Only 20% of our activities (identity documents) suffered by the reason of city halls closing.” Explains Pierre Barrial, who took on IDEMIA Group as new CEO from 1st July. Besides him there was Yann Delabrière (Former CEO of Faurencia) who was temporarily at the head of IDEMIA, and now as the president of the board of directors.

The changing in governance arrives when Idemia seeks to accelerate after <Clarifying strategy and reviewing its offer>. Despite of pandemic period, < Our objectives are unchangeable: We foresee growth in terms of turnover of 5 to 6% by 2022 and a rise of 10% in our results (EBITIDA)> Sums up Pierre Barrial. In 2019, Idemia made 2,3 billion of Euros in total revenue and 400 million of Euros in gross margin – operational profit.

Idemia surfs on the market waves of – security, biometric identification, connectivity – which should grow 7% and reach 12,6 billion of Euros in the world, from 2019 to 2022. By 2025, only the market of digital identification for governments and enterprises will weight 6 billion.

Facial Recognition

Installed in every continent and fitted with ranges of products for institutional and private sector, Idemia has positioned itself as trusted partner of banks (1800 clients), mobiles operators (500 references) which prepare the deploy of 5G, connected vehicles, new usages in telemedicine and e-education. Inside these heterogenic fields, <Everything lies on the same bricks of technology that Idemia masters with French laboratories of world-class: Cryptography and artificial intelligence – AI, as well as microchips manufactured by the company on its own. 1,5 billion of microchips, credit cards and identity documents are commercialized per year.> Develops Yann Delabrière.

In the field of facial recognition, Idemia is currently adapting its products installed in airports for border control to identify people using masks.

< The objective is, thru the use of sophisticated software, to control the identity by taking into account just half of the face, particularly using iris recognition. All of that in a fluid and efficient manner.> Affirms Pierre Barrial.

In the bank sector, Idemia focus on solving security flaws linked with contactless payments. When paying, card’s holder will put the finger on a sensor embedded in the card. Idemia develops a biometric credit card that will be tested by Société Générale in the end of 2021. The bank aims to propose the biometric credit card in 2022. Still on the same field, Idemia is a direct competitor of Thales Group, which develops the same technology of biometric credit card for BNP Paribas. The bank predicts to test something in between 10 000 and 15 000 credit cards this autumn.

The invention of biometric card seeks to eliminate the ceiling of expenditure on contactless payments, by enhancing security and assuring that the card’s holder is the one making the payment. This process will be authenticated by card’s holder biometric data.

Source: Inspired of Véronique Guillermard from Le Figaro

Pierre Barrial announced as new Idemia’s CEO from1st July

EU is going to centralize in one database 400 million national and non-nationals’ biometric data

The database should be constituted by 2022.

This European Union project is designed based on a <massive database> of biometric data, voted and approved in 2019, the project implementation speeds up. Two French companies, IDEMIA and Sopra Steria, were chosen to constitute this shared database between the union’s countries. A complex task to be executed, since the gathering of biometric data – fingerprints and photos – of more than 400 million people who cross European borders in the Schengen zone. An amount of 302 Million Euros were allocated by the EU for the project.

The main objective of the massive database is to improve  <data exchange between information systems in EU to control and secure borders and migrations>. By centralizing the information, it will not be necessary anymore to verify in different databases as Eurodac (European fingerprint register for asylum seekers) or the VIS (Information system for visas) the identity of a person. one centralized database will be more complete and efficient.

Customs, legal authorities and police will have access to this new system to search information about people through their names, fingerprint or photos. The biometric database has a key function in the new European system of borders entries and exits. The system is here to replace the stamp on passports and to register the date and place of entry and exit of people – with a temporary stay visa up to 90 days-, also to register their identity documents.

The biometric system to be share will be one of the most important in the world, because of its integration with different database already existing and with upcoming databases, says the EU in a press release.

An Unique Target

The gathering of biometric data of 400 million people in an unique database raises many problems, one of them is notably the respect to all data privacy terms, interoperability of databases and also aspects of security. Statewatch, an ONG that monitor the states, the justice and interior affairs, the security and civilian liberties in Europe, is against the project.

In parallel , the mega database could make the job easier for hackers and cyber attack that now have a single target, and not multiple sensible databases. The centralization of data can be an giant issues in case of data breach, flaws or security bug. 400 million people’s personal information could be exposed and robbed.

The system project is shared by biometric correspondences (sBMS) and will be done in 2022. This timeline gives time to EU and the two French firms to polish all the details. Two main issues appear as crucial until the deadline time, the respect of data privacy terms inside a shared database and the security of the database itself that protects the data.

Source: Inspired of Jennifer Mertens for 20 Minutes

What uses for biometrics in companies ?

This Saturday, June 13, 2020, Yves Portalier, executive vice-president of activities related to biometrics at IDEMIA explained the new requirements of biometrics for health in the program 01 Business presented by Frédéric Simottel.

During this interview, Yves Portalier clarified the current challenges of contactless biometrics (via facial recognition or fingerprints) in this context of emerging from the global pandemic.
He explains that “fluidity, security and hygiene” are the main advantages of contactless biometrics.

Finally, the exchange highlights the already widespread use in the world of the MorphoWave ™ Compact. This very popular biometric reader sees its popularity growing in the current health context.

You can watch the interview directly below:

Why keep your fingerprints readers ACTIVE in period of crisis is the right Decision

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Fingerprint readers have been removed by few companies to be replaced by simple badge readers. This decision made by many security managers is actually enhancing risk level instead of protecting employees.

How to keep security and employee’s health protection during the crisis?

We explain  here what measures and considerations should be taken to NOT deactivate fingerprint readers during the crisis.

You have a fingerprint reader to increase security, right? The existing systems based on fingerprint technology are a more trustful system than ID badge or RFID system, because fingerprint assures authorized people to be identity’s holders and not someone holding a badge and trying to break into secured area with others’ credential.

Badges can be stolen and even cloned, but not your fingerprint features.

The General Data Protection Regulations – GDPR and Data Protection Impact Assessment – DPIA are a major issue for many countries, overall in the European Continent.

These countries need to respect the regulated framework for user’s privacy. The legal environment for biometric projects using fingerprint capture are strong well-though and planned by governments and actors in the market. This implies that today, in the current stage, fingerprint and biometric systems are stronger than other systems.

Concerning this structured offer and protection of data, why would a company remove these layers of security in a fingerprint based system ?

Many will think and see the contact biometric technology as a vector to certain diseases or virus. But, the removal of these protection represent a bigger risk than the others.

Indeed, by deactivating biometric systems with already structured framework to low level security appears a bad choice and risk taken.

The deactivation of the system already in function give a breach and higher exposure to attacks in terms of personal data and physical access control amidst others. The risk here is augmented if systems are not active.

Can you as a security manager let this risk happen?

You are not going to remove all contact objects, are you ?

In our daily life and relations, contact is key. Now, if we speak about companies, will you remove door handles or common objects as coffee machine, tables, desks to avoid contact? Probably not, the same is applied to biometrics with fingerprint technology.

“Back to badge” : clearly not the best idea !

The replacement of fingerprint contact readers to badges is far from being ideal in both security and health aspects. It’s to be emphasized that cards can be easily cloned, and have a low security option for protection.

A false sense of security is common in cards or RFID technologies, because it’s difficult to identify an illegitimate entry into the secured area.

Health issues: Badges aren’t hygienic as you think, just because they work through a contactless technology, it does not mean it can reduce virus transmissions. The card in contact with other objects can be turned into a vector. The avoidance of virus transmissions is more about how often do you wash or sanitize your hands than grab contact-objects.

In addition, badges are bigger than fingerprint sensor, this means that there are more contact surface to contain viruses. A sensor measures only 15×20 mm / 0.6×0.8 inches VS a classic card 54x86mm / 2.12 / 3.38 inches).

So what are the recommendations?

Put or leave your fingerprint terminals active, for matters of security. You will maintain a high level of protection.

IDEMIA made several recommendations to clean and sanitize the sensors on its terminals. But we could also recommend that you treat such readers as you treat other objects already mentioned here above, and provide (touchless) hydro-alcoholic gel or wipes dispensers next to them. This way, your employees can clean their hands right after using the fingerprint sensor and the door/handle.

This is maybe an inspiring example: pedal-activated gel dispenser next to the reader and door handle.

Source: Document from Nicolas Raffin – VP of Marketing at IDEMIA

Development of a Regulatory and Ethical Framework on Facial Recognition Technology

This project is part of the World Economic Forum’s Shaping the Future of Technology Governance: Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

How can we preserve human rights concerns in the advent of facial recognition technology? 

Facial recognition offers a seamless experience throughout identification processes, offering also a high-level of security.

This technology is considered to be a non-invasive method in which we do not get interrupted, stopped or in contact with any devices. Seamless and contactless experience are keywords.

Good or bad, the technology retains personal data of many citizens. And it’s a right to know by whom, to what purpose and for how long our personal data is used and kept.

While algorithms increase as fast pace the accuracy score and machines’ responsiveness, the  policy and regulations still have a long way to go.

Thinking of this 2020 trend growth of facial recognition use, enhanced by sanitary crisis, world leaders in technology, digital identity and biometrics gathered with policy-makers, civil society representatives and academics to develop a governance framework, delimiting the use and safe conditions of the technology.

4 steps to build a framework that ensures trustworthy were made in a pilot phase by companies and IDEMIA, MICROSOFT, AFNOR, SNCF, AWS among others:

  1. Define what constitutes the responsible use of facial recognition through drafting a set of principles for action
  2. Design best practices to support product teams in the development of systems “responsible by design”
  3. Assess to what extent the system designed is responsible through an assessment questionnaire that describes for each use-case what rules should be respected to comply with the principles for action.
  4. Validate compliance with the principle for action through the design of an audit framework by a trusted third party

The framework takes into account different use-cases and applications across jurisdictions. For instance: Access control, safety in public spaces, marketing and KYC services, healthcare, etc.

Sources:

https://www.idemia.com/news

https://www.weforum.org/projects/responsible-limits-on-facial-recognition-technology